Wednesday, November 14, 2007

1 - UNC. This hurts because I hate the Tar Heels but with Tyler Hansbourgh manning the middle and Ellington and Lawson in the backcourt … this team is hard not to put at 1. The lose of Wright will hurt but Roy Williams has this team ready for a run at the final 4.

2 - UCLA. Howland shouldn’t worry to much about losing Arron Afflalo, he didn’t show up in March anyways. With Darren Collison being the best PG in the country and a break out season for Josh Shipp last year the Bruins are in good shape. Senior leadership from Mbah a Moute will keep this team grounded and poised for a great year. Oh yea and the addition of the Gatorade Male Athlete of the year 6’10, 260 center Kevin Love will help. A LOT!

3 - Memphis. Joey Dorsey is a monster in the middle. Hopefully he won’t guarantee anything this year like he did against Greg Oden last year though. Chris Douglas-Roberts is an All American and with Derrick Rose stepping in at point guard, this team is an instant contender. Johnny Calipari might have his best chance for a national title this year.

4 - Kansas. Brandon Rush entered then withdrew from the draft, good move on his part. As a junior he will again be their leading scorer and go to guy on defense. He is recovering from ACL surgery, but should be back by Christmas. No big deal though,; guards Sherron Collins and Mario Chalmers and big man Darrell Arthur will hold down the fort until Rush returns just in time for conference play.

5 - Georgetown. Roy Hibbert is 7’2. You can’t teach height and size. Stick him in the middle with Jonathan Wallace and Jessie Sapp and this team is ready. Jeff Green is gone, and its hard to replace the Big East Player of the Year, but a guy to ready to fill his shoes is DaJaun Summers. JT3 went out and also brought in a pretty solid freshman class. Look for them to compete with Louisville for the Big East title this year.

6 - Louisville. If Derrick Caracter can stay healthy and out of trouble this year, this team is going to be a major threat come March. Terrence Williams had a break out season last year, especially in the Big East Tourney. Guard Edgar Sosa and center David Padgett round out 4 out of 7 leading scorers that return this year for the Cardinals.

7 - Indiana. That’s right, Indiana. The return of the glory days are back in basketball country. If Calvin Sampson can leave his fingers of the phones and just coach this team is primed for excitement. Eric Gordon, number 2 ranked recruit will need some discipline at first but look for this kid to be a superstar in the backcourt. I don’t think much needs to be said about D.J. White except that he was smart to leave the draft and come back to school. Just wait D.J., you’ll see why it was a good idea.

8 - Tennessee. We all know how Bruce Pearl gets down. Think painted chest at women’s basketball game. Anyways, with the best pure shooter in the NCAA, Chris Lofton, and Iowa transfer Tyler Smith the Vols could make a serious run at the SEC title this year. Their big men are strong and aggressive, which makes this one of the most complete teams in basketball. Remember, this team lost no one and almost beat OSU last year in March. A year under their belt means serious trouble for opponents as long as everyone stays healthy.

9 - Washington State. Derrick Low and Kyle Weaver lead last years surprise team this year to a top 10 ranking. Head coach Tony Bennett has this team playing the best defense in the country and unfortunately wont be able to stay under the radar screen this year. Look for teams to be better prepared against this tenacious defense but not fairing so well. Should be able to compete close with UCLA in the PAC-10.

10 - Duke. Gotta do it. I’m a Cameron Crazy. Lets go DUKE. Who’s your daddy Battier. You know everyone loves to hate Duke but with freshman Kyle Singler and the return of stand out PG Greg Paulus this team should fair better than last year. DeMarcus Nelson returns as their leading scorer and Marcus Henderson should be healthy (one of the best all around athletes in basketball). They’ll play scrappy Coach K defense and their scoring should be up. Look for seven footer Brian Zoubek and shooter Jon Scheyer to make huge improvements in their games.

Teams to watch out for:

Michigan State, Mississippi State, Kansas State, Marquette, Oregon, and Arizona to keep the top 10 on their toes.

wagon jumper? Oh yea I love the suns bc they lose in the WCF every year. Oh yea and the Mav's have won the title ... i only like the mavs bc of dirk and have like the spurs since tim duncan was taken ... ive liked tim duncan since he was a swimmer for the virgin islands national team ...